I live in Phoenix, AZ and I wanted to spend a weekend in Sedona to do some hiking and relaxing. I got on Expedia.com and looked around for a nice hotel and a good deal. The L’Auberge impressed me with the reasonable price and the pictures of the seating by the water. My impression of the hotel from the pictures was that it looked serene and classy.
Here’s a tip to get a discount on the room rate that I discovered by accident! Call the hotel directly and ask about the room availability and rates. Often they won’t have the cheapest rate available. When I looked at Expedia.com the cheapest rate was $179. Tell them you saw a price for $179 on Expedia. The lady on the phone offered me a $25 discount on my room rate! :-) I still paid a little over $200 per night, but I like to save $25 if I can.
One of the nice things about the hotel is that there is a no tipping policy. They charge you $25 a day to cover all tips for the valet, concierge, turn down service, etc. They employees simply won’t take your tips if you try to tip them, so don’t bother. You’ve already paid for it. However, you can tip for Spa, Bar, and Food Services.
Upon arrival at the hotel you will be greeted and seated with the personal attention you might expect from such a nice hotel. We were there for hiking and many of the staff knew the best places. We got several recommendations with maps, descriptions, personal experiences, and a wealth of knowledge about our activity. It was really nice to see such enthusiasm. We took the advice of the staff and had a great time hiking.
In July of 2011 the pool was not open. They were doing construction still. They do have a pool you can visit up the hill (within walking distance), but its painfully obvious that it isn’t part of The L’Auberge Hotel. Two weeks from the date of this post The L’Auberge will be opening their pool. I’m certain it will be as classy as the rest of the Resort. However, if you visit before the L’Auberge pool is open – skip the pool part. haha.
Our stay was on Saturday night and Sunday night. We purchased a room in one of the lodges. Though these are the cheapest rooms, they’re quite large and feature large bathrooms and a nice outside patio. Compared to other hotels I’ve been in while staying in Sedona – these are by far the nicest. Overall the staff is extremely helpful. They go out of their way to treat you like royalty.
The restaurant is good. The food is interesting and the chef knows his stuff. I’d recommend you venture out to other dining establishments though – The Barking Frog is one I’d recommend.
To be honest, we did have a problem with The L’Auberge Hotel. Getting into the specifics of the issue would cause harm to their reputation and, because the situation was handled so incredibly well, I don’t think mentioning the exact issue is pertinent. Also, I know how many freeloaders are out there and if I put the exact issue on the internet The L’Auberge Hotel could suffer fraudulent claims by freeloaders. The problem we had is something I consider to be a major issue if you’re staying at any hotel. I reported the issue as soon as I discovered it and the staff at The L’Auberge handled it promptly and professionally. In fact, they upgraded our room to an AMAZING cottage while they did an internal investigation of the problem. They did have to keep the results of everything confidential, so I’m not sure what happened in the end. What I am sure of is that I got an amazing room upgrade and the problem was handled, in my opinion, the best of their ability. I am a business owner and I know that when a customer has a complaint it is an opportunity for the business to gain that customer for life. This is what The L’Auberge did – they took a bad situation and turned it into an amazing situation for the customer (me). Someone there knows how to keep customers and the procedures in place are a recipe for success. I think specifically mentioning Scott Lopez is of note because he was incredibly helpful. I feel like he was the person that turned the situation from bad to good.
This wasn’t my first trip to Sedona. In fact, I’ve stayed at other hotels including Poco Diablo and King’s Ransom. Frankly, the L’Auberge is in a league of its own and considering the price vs. the other hotels in Sedona it’s really a great value. If you’re going to visit Sedona, Arizona – especially if you’re an international traveler – The L’Auberge should be considered. It is a bit more pricey than some of the hotels in Sedona, but its worth it!